(Chengdu, Sichuan – May 18, 2026) Chinese authorities have placed two members of the prominent Early Rain Covenant Church under “Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location” (RSDL), a secretive detention system criticized by human rights groups and U.N. experts as a form of enforced disappearance.

On Jan. 6, 2026, authorities detained Jia Xuewei, a deputy deacon at the church and former journalist, along with church member Ye Fenghua, according to sources confirmed by ChinaAid News.

The detentions follow a broader January crackdown targeting leaders and members of the influential house church in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China.

Early Rain Covenant Church has remained one of China’s most closely watched house churches since authorities launched a sweeping raid against the congregation in December 2018. Pastor Wang Yi was later sentenced to nine years in prison on charges including “inciting subversion of state power,” a charge frequently used against dissidents, activists and independent religious leaders.

Rights advocates have expressed concern over the detainees’ physical and mental well-being because authorities have restricted access to lawyers and withheld details about their whereabouts. (Church members and other confirmed sources for this story are not identified to protect their safety.)

Jia Xuewei previously worked as a reporter for China News Service and was stationed in Europe before relocating to Chengdu and joining Early Rain Covenant Church. Following the church’s 2018 crackdown, he documented the government campaign against the congregation in writings later compiled into the book The Silence of a Promise Avalanche.

In the years following the crackdown, Jia became a frequent target of government surveillance because of his support for church members affected by the raids and arrests. According to sources familiar with the situation, he faced repeated evictions, utility shutoffs and other forms of harassment, forcing him to move frequently between temporary residences. Despite the pressure, he continued serving as a deputy deacon and leading Bible studies.

Authorities launched another round of actions against Early Rain Covenant Church on Jan. 6, 2026, and Jia disappeared the same day. Sources later confirmed he had been placed in criminal detention at the Deyang Detention Center, though his family reportedly never received formal legal documentation.

​Recent reports indicate Jia has since been transferred to RSDL, a detention measure that permits authorities to hold suspects in undisclosed locations for extended periods. Human rights organizations and U.N. experts have criticized the system for denying detainees meaningful access to lawyers and family members.

Former detainees and rights advocates say people held under RSDL are often subjected to prolonged interrogations, sleep deprivation, constant surveillance and psychological pressure. Chinese authorities maintain the measure is legal under domestic law.

A recent policy brief summarizing statements from United Nations human rights experts described RSDL as “a form of enforced disappearance” that “may amount to torture.” The report warned that denying detainees access to legal counsel and family members increases the risk of “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The latest actions against Early Rain Covenant Church come amid a wider Chinese government crackdown on unregistered Protestant “house churches” operating outside the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Rights groups say authorities increasingly use national security and subversion charges against independent religious leaders and religious communities.

Early Rain Covenant Church and advocacy groups including ChinaAid have called on authorities to disclose the detainees’ whereabouts, allow access to legal counsel and family members, and protect their legal rights while in custody.

ChinaAid, founded in 2002, is an international, Christian nonprofit human rights organization that inspires, informs, and invites people to transformative action on behalf of persecuted people of all faiths in China. Sign up to receive ChinaAid News every week.